Shoulder setback to sideline Brisbane Broncos winger Corey Oates for up to six weeks

THE good news is Broncos star Corey Oates will avoid the 10th operation of his career, the bad news is he faces a long spell on the sidelines after suffering major structural damage to his shoulder.

Corey Oats of the Brisbane Broncos scores a try during their Round 2 NRL game against the New Zealand Warriors at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Friday, March 11, 2016. (AAP Image/Dan Peled) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

COREY Oates will avoid the 10th operation of his career but still faces up to six weeks on the sidelines after injuring his shoulder in Brisbane’s 25-10 defeat of the Warriors.

The giant winger has already undergone nine surgeries and there were fears the 21-year-old faced another stint at the operating table after being helped off at Suncorp Stadium.

But scans on Saturday cleared the Maroons Origin hopeful of major structural damage, with Broncos medicos confident Oates’ injury will respond to daily treatment.

Oates suffered a grade-three injury to his AC joint. He is expected to miss four to six weeks and the best-case scenario is that Oates will return for the Broncos’ round-six clash against the Dragons at Suncorp Stadium on April 7.

That scenario would still give Oates sufficient time to stake a claim for an Origin debut after his sizzling form in the opening fortnight turned up the heat on Maroons winger Dane Gagai.

The 106kg utility charged for 124 metres from 15 runs and scored a spectacular eighth-minute try against the Warriors, reinforcing why he is one of the code’s hottest properties.

“Corey is a class player and will only get better,” said Broncos fullback Darius Boyd.

“Wing is still foreign to him but he’s doing a great job and has been one of our best players in the first two games and the back end of last year as well.

“He’s had a few injuries in his career, which is unlucky, but if he can stay on the paddock he will be an awesome weapon for us.”

Last year, Oates joked he already had the battered body of an NRL veteran, having undergone operations on his knees, shoulders, wrists and left ankle.

Corey Oates won’t be back until mid April at the earliest.

His latest setback opens the door for Greg Eden and Lachlan Maranta, whom coach Wayne Bennett revealed is close to full fitness after missing the start of the season with a wrist problem.

Broncos veteran Sam Thaiday said the club is keeping a lid on the hype surrounding Oates, who is tipped to be Brisbane’s next back-row superstar.

“There’s still room for improvement there as well,” he said.

“At some point Corey will move in the field a little bit more and play that edge back-row role. He’ll only grow and develop as a player.

“The kind of group we’ve got at our club, we try to keep our young guys as grounded as possible.

“Even though he is playing some good footy at the moment we’ll just make sure he’s not getting too far ahead of himself and continues to work hard on his little flaws.

“That’s only going to make him better.”

Originally published as Shoulder setback to sideline Brisbane Broncos winger Corey Oates for up to six weeks